In many vehicles, such as motorcycles, which use handlebars for steering, the speed of the vehicle is controlled by a mounted rotatable accelerator sleeve unit that is fastened to the right end of the handlebar, which is usually wrapped with a rubber or plastic grip. This rotatable accelerator sleeve, which is commonly called a throttle, is directly coupled to the vehicle's throttle housing, which transfers the rotation of the sleeve into either 1 or more throttle cables or an electronic sensor. Thus, by rotating the accelerator sleeve, the engine in the vehicle will either accelerate, maintain or decelerate the speed of the vehicle, depending on the direction of the rotation.
For convenience and safety purposes, the throttle is typically designed, using a biased return spring, to rotate the throttle back to its resting position, which will maintain the vehicle's engine idle and prevent the vehicle from accelerating. Thus, to maintain a constant speed, the operator of the vehicle must hold the throttle firmly at a desired rotational position, overpowering the throttle's biased return springs. During a long distance motorcycle trip, for example, a motorcycle operator may become fatigued due to the efforts of holding the throttle in one steady position. Lack of motion in the arm, lack of circulation, numbness, vibration injuries because of vibrations from the road and the engine and many other factors can cause numerous injuries to the operator's hand, or even serious injury if the operator's hand falls asleep due to exhaustion, distracting the operator from focusing on the road.
Many devices and methods have been designed to allow an operator of a handlebar steered vehicle to maintain a desired cruising speed without requiring a constant force applied to the throttle by the operator. These devices may be referred to generally as motorcycle cruise controls and/or throttle lock devices.
Some devices require the owner of the vehicle to drill into their throttle housing to mount the device firmly to the throttle housing, which damages the vehicle's warranty. The use of these devices can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,197 A, 4,137,793 A, 20100294077 A1.
One such device requires the owner of the vehicle to mount the device to the handlebar itself, taking up precious space on the handlebars, restricting the use of other safety gear such as hand guards and could block the operator's usage and view of the controls and dash displays. The use of such a device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,446 A.
Some devices require electricity to work properly. Such a device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,490 B1.
Another device fastens over the throttle's rubber/plastic grip but is not fixed in place. It can be moved, rotated and slide side to side by the operator during the operation of the vehicle. This device covers sections of the throttle grip, restricting the operator's full use of the grip, which was not intended by the manufacture of the vehicle and may easily be accidentally bumped by the operator, causing the vehicle to dramatically decelerate or accelerate with unintended consequences. The use of this device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,386 A.
One device simply covers sections of the throttle grip and restricts full use of the throttle. It takes away space for the operator's hand, especially when the operator is wearing riding gloves. The use of one such device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,446 A.
Another device is designed to disengage once the front brake lever is pulled. This is a safety concern for a motorist. If the device malfunctions, it will prevent the operator from using the front brakes, which, for a motorcycle, provides 75% of the vehicle's stopping power. Not only can the device malfunction and prevent the front brake from engaging, but the cruise control could be stuck in the “on” position and may not be overpowered by the operator. The use of this device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,710 B2.
Still, other devices mount to the bar end of the throttle grip and requires the operator to grab the device and rotate it in the direction of acceleration of the engine's throttle grip to engage the device. This can be extremely dangerous when operating the vehicle off-road with gloves on. The use of these devices can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. D593,463 S1, D593,462 S1, D593,464 S1.